Temper, Temper
by draggon-flye
Summary: Leigh proves she has a temper to rival both her mother and her Uncle Gibbs. Part of the Future Perfect Universe. Contains corporal punishment.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is, in many ways, the story that birthed a series. This was the story I originally had in mind when I asked Sasha1600 to borrow Leigh and Kate McGee, thus giving birth to the series of stories that have come since. It is also the first multi-chaptered story in the series.

**Warning:** This story contains corporal punishment of a minor. Don't like; Don't read.

* * *

"Get a move on, Leigh. We're late." McGee called up the stairs to his daughter.

"I'm not going," Leigh countered, clearly mutinous.

"Oh, yes, you are," McGee called back, simultaneously trying to tie his tie and rush Leigh's twin sister Kate through breakfast. Abby had left a few days ago to attend a forensics conference in Tennessee, where she was to present a paper. He didn't begrudge her the time, really he didn't. He, of all people, knew how hard she worked and how lonely her job often was, but at the moment, running late and more than a little frazzled, he desperately wished she were here to help.

Katie finally finished her cereal, and he sent her upstairs with instructions to find her shoes and book bag and to tell her sister to get down here. Just as Katie mounted the stairs, Leigh appeared at the top of them still wearing her pajamas.

"I thought I told you to get dressed," Tim said, feeling his patience shredding rapidly.

"I can't," Leigh replied. "I don't have any clean uniform pants."

"What do you mean you don't have any pants?" Tim asked.

"I. Don't. Have. Any. Pants," she repeated, speaking exaggeratedly slowly, clearly exasperated.

Tim took a deep breath and let it out slowly, rubbing a hand over the bridge of his nose. He did not need this attitude this morning. He and his team had spent the better part of a week following the trail of a particularly nasty hacker, and now the director was breathing down his neck about late performance reviews. "Just put on the ones you had on last night."

"I can't," Leigh said again. "I spilled spaghetti sauce on them last night, remember?"

Tim groaned inwardly. He did indeed remember. What else could go wrong this morning? No. Scratch That. He didn't want to know. "Why didn't you tell me last night that you didn't have any more pants?"

Leigh shrugged. "Didn't know last night."

"So just re-wear another pair," Tim said.

Leigh looked utterly horrified. "Daddy," she said in a shrill tone known only to preteen girls. "I am NOT wearing dirty pants to school."

This from the child who would cheerfully and willingly wear jeans until they stood up on their own from the accumulated dirt unless they forced her to wash them, Tim thought. "Are you sure you don't have any clean pants? You're sure you looked everywhere."

"I'm sure," Leigh drawled.

Even so, Tim headed up to his daughters' room to check himself. He didn't think Leigh would flat out lie to him, but in her current mood, he wouldn't put it past her to try a little subterfuge either. He searched quickly through Leigh's closet and dresser, but he too came up empty. For a moment, he deeply regretted that they had decided to enroll the girls in a Catholic school. True, Abby's experience in Catholic school had been far better than his own in public school, and for the most part, the school was more secular than religious, but it still required traditional uniforms, and at the moment, painfully aware of every passing moment, he hated it passionately.

He turned slowly, racking his brain for an answer, and saw Katie sitting on her bed, packing her book bag and watching him curiously. The solution hit him with the force and bluntness of a headslap. He was an idiot. His daughters were twins—identical twins. They could easily wear each other's clothes.

"Wear a pair of Katie's," he said to Leigh. This drew a squawk of protest from both his daughters.

"No way!" Leigh yelped. "Kate only wears skirts, and I am not wearing a skirt!"

"Daddy," Kate protested. "She'll ruin it."

Leigh whirled around, clearly offended. "I will not!"

"Will too," Katie insisted.

"Will Not!" Leigh shot back.

"Will Too!" Katie countered, just as loudly and vehemently as her sister.

"Enough," Tim broke in sternly. When both girls fell silent, he pulled a clean skirt from Kate's closet and thrust it at Leigh. "Get dressed."

"Daddy…" Katie began, but a warning "Caitlyn" from her father stopped her in mid-protest. She sighed resignedly before gathering up her book bag and heading downstairs.

Leigh, however, was not so easily mollified. She slapped the skirt away and stomped her feet. "No! I'm not wearing any stupid skirt! I won't, and you can't make me!"

The tirade broke off abruptly when Tim reached out and swatted her bottom sharply. "That's enough, Leigh Anne," he snapped. "You are going to school, and that's final. Now get dressed!" With that, he turned and left his daughter alone to dress.

Leigh glared mutinously at the offending grey, blue and burgundy plaid skirt, still lying crumpled on the floor where she had thrown it, and rubbing at the now stinging spot on her backside. Grudgingly, she picked up the skirt and began to change. Daddy rarely punished them, and for him to spank, even just a swat, was even more unusual. It was enough to convince her she had to get dressed and go to school, but she didn't have to like it.

* * *

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Leigh slumped in her seat, listening disinterestedly to the sickeningly cheery drone of the school's morning news program blaring away on the television screen in the front corner of the room. One half of this morning's student anchor team was a bubbly, overly-perky, cheerleader type, the other was a quiet, oh-so-serious boy who looked about the size of a first-grader and was so nervous he could barely read his notes without stumbling. At the moment, Leigh hated them both vehemently.

She glared up at them, pulling irritably at her skirt. It was full cut and plenty long enough to be modest, but she still felt awkward and exposed. She still couldn't believe Daddy made her wear this stupid skirt. He knew she hated skirts. Mama would have never made her wear this stupid skirt. Mama understood. It made her look girlie, and she _hated_ looking girlie.

Worse yet, people kept mistaking her for Katie. She hated that even more than she hated skirts. She was not Katie. She was nothing like Katie. She loved her sister, and heaven help any idiot who had the nerve to try to bother her, but come on, they were nothing alike. Katie liked looking girlie and hated anything that got her dirty. She wouldn't even try to play basketball or anything. How could anyone not see that? It wasn't her fault they had the same face.

The news program ended with a blast of corny music that had Leigh rolling her eyes in sheer disgust, and her teacher, Ms. Hamilton, moved up to the front of the room and began writing division problems on the board while the principal came on the p.a. system and made a few more announcements, ending with pronouncement that it was time for Smart Start. Leigh groaned, even on a good day she hated Smart Start. It was thirty minute review period every morning where they went over basic math and English skills. Her teachers and parents said it was just practice, but as far as she was concerned, it was one of the worst parts of every day. It was totally boring and totally stupid. Why should she have to practice something she already knew how to do? It was just stupid busywork, and Leigh abhorred busywork. It was ok when they did new vocabulary or logic puzzles and stuff, but division drills were just boring.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen," Ms. Hamilton began, "it's Tuesday which means it's a math day."

No, really, Leigh thought irritably, as if we didn't already know that.

"We're working on division this morning,' her teacher went on, gesturing at the problems she'd written on the board. "Give these a try and we'll go over them in a few minutes."

Oh, joy, division. Puh-lease. How boring and simple could you get? She'd mastered division ages ago, in third grade. They weren't supposed to do division with big numbers until fourth grade, but she always finished her work early, and she'd driven Mr. Pike so crazy he'd finally given her a fourth grade book and let her go. She'd figured much of it out on her own and by this point, even decimals and fractions were easy. So why should she have to keep going over something she'd known how to do for three years now? Practice-smactice, it was just plain stupid and she wasn't doing it.

All around her, kids were pulling out paper and pencil and starting. There were groans of protest and low grumblings, but slowly, everyone was getting to work. Leigh, however, refused to move a muscle. She remained slouched in her desk as if she hadn't heard a word.

"You need to get started, Leigh," Ms. Hamilton said as she passed by a moment later. Leigh ignored her. Ms. Hamilton circled the room, checking other students' progress, and then came back. "Get busy," she said again, sternly this time.

"Why?" Leigh asked petulantly. "I already know how to do this."

"That may be," her teacher agreed, "but it never hurts to practice the basics."

"I don't need to practice," Leigh insisted, growing louder and shriller with every word. "I know how to divide."

Ms. Hamilton arched an eyebrow at the tone but didn't comment. "Then this assignment should be easy for you," she said. "Get started and you'll be done in no time."

"I'm already done," Leigh snapped, "because I'm not doing it."

Ms. Hamilton went still. "Step outside, please." Leigh glared at her, unmoving. The teacher stepped over and knelt by her desk. "Move it, Miss McGee," she said, quiet and stern. "Now."

Leigh held her gaze for one long moment, blazing with pure defiance, but finally, a lifetime of training won out and she stood up. "Fine!" she huffed then stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door.

Leigh slumped against the wall in the hallway outside the classroom, practically vibrating with fury. Why did everybody keep messing with her today? First Daddy, now Ms. Hamilton too. Why did everybody keep insisting she just had to do all this stuff she didn't want to do? It wasn't fair!

The classroom door opened, and Ms. Hamilton stepped out. "All right, Leigh, let's have it. What's going on with you this morning? This isn't like you."

Leigh shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just not doing any stupid division."

"Look, Leigh," the teacher continued. "I know you don't like it. That's fine. You don't have to like it. You do, however, have to do it. You cannot continue to just openly defy me. That is not acceptable, and neither is this disrespectful attitude. Now, can you get yourself together, or do I need to get your parents involved?"

Despite her fury, Leigh felt her stomach lurch. Daddy would kill her. He was a complete fanatic about school. Still, she shouldn't have to do stupid, baby work. It wasn't fair! Finally, she just glared at her teacher and shrugged.

Ms. Hamilton sighed. Giving Leigh a resigned look, she pulled her cell phone and Leigh's emergency contact card out of her pocket. She dialed Mrs. McGee first, but the number went straight to voicemail. She left a quick message then hung up and tried Agent McGee only to be put straight to his voicemail as well.

Leigh breathed a sigh of relief. Mama was out of town, and it sounded like Daddy was out in the field. Normally, she hated it when he was away, but today she was extremely grateful. Who knew when he'd get that stupid message? If he was in the middle of an active investigation, it might be a long time, and maybe he'd be too busy to be angry. Ok, probably not, but she could hope, couldn't she? But then, instead of sending her back in as she expected, Ms. Hamilton pulled out her card again and dialed one last number.

* * *

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs rubbed his hand over the flat planes of the desk he was building, checking for any rough spots that still needed sanding. The desk, and its twin that sat a few feet away, were gifts for Leigh and Kate. They'd be twelve in a little over a week and were the closest thing to grandchildren he'd ever have.

His cell phone rang, jarring him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the caller id display, puzzled. Since he'd retired from NCIS , calls this early in the day had become unusual. His frown deepened as he recognized the number from Kate and Leigh's school.

"Gibbs," he said tersely, raising the phone to his ear.

"Mr. Gibbs, this is Pam Hamilton from St. Joe's, Leigh McGee's teacher. I'm sorry to bother you, but I can't seem to reach her parents. Would you happen to know how I could get in touch with them?"

"Is something wrong? Is she ok?" Gibbs asked anxiously.

"She's fine," the woman assured him. "I just really need to speak with one of them regarding her behavior this morning."

"I see," Gibbs said slowly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was no telling what Leigh had done now. His namesake had inherited the stubbornness and outspoken attitude both he and her mother shared. He loved her spunky nature, but even he had to admit she could be quite a handful. "Her mother is out of town and if you can't reach her father, that probably means he's in the field somewhere. What's going on?"

Ms. Hamilton sighed. "Leigh's refusing to do the math review this morning. It's just a basic skills review, and I know she's more than capable of doing it, but it seems she's decided it's stupid and she's not going to do it."

"Oh she's not, is she?" Gibbs said softly, in a tone that anyone who knew him well would recognize as just short of dangerous. "I'll be right there."

* * *

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks to Sasha1600, who gave Leigh some of her best lines.

* * *

Ms. Hamilton closed her phone with a snap that echoed through both the empty hall and Leigh's mind like a gunshot. "Mr. Gibbs is on his way," she told Leigh quietly.

Leigh made no move to acknowledge her teacher's words, but she felt her stomach drop to somewhere around her knees. Oh, god, Uncle Gibbs was worse than Mama or Daddy. She was as good as dead. For a moment, she considered just making a hasty apology and doing the stupid assignment. She wouldn't mean a word of it, but maybe it would be enough to get her out of trouble with Uncle Gibbs. Even as the thought crossed her mind, Leigh felt herself bristling. No, she wasn't apologizing for anything. Why should she apologize? She was right. She shouldn't have to do any stupid busywork assignment. It wasn't fair. Heck, Uncle Gibbs probably wouldn't have done the stupid assignment either.

Ms. Hamilton sent Leigh back into the classroom, directing her to a small table near the door that she used to isolate misbehaving students. Leigh flopped into the chair and put her head down on the table, but a few moments later, a tiny, persistent tapping caught her attention. Recognizing the sound, she turned toward Katie, shooting her a questioning look.

"What are you doing?" Katie signed.

Leigh flicked her gaze toward the problems on the board with a derisive expression. "It's stupid," she signed back.

Katie shrugged. "So."

Before Leigh could answer, Katie got called on to answer a question. Katie answered quickly, but they had to wait until the teacher turned her back again before they could continue. As soon as she did, Katie turned to Leigh with a 'Well?' expression.

"Not doing it," Leigh told her.

"You're crazy," Katie signed back. "You'll get in trouble."

"It's stupid," Leigh repeated.

"You're stupid," Katie replied. "Daddy will kill you."

"Not Daddy," Leigh told her. "Uncle Gibbs."

Katie's eyes went wide. "She called Uncle Gibbs?" Leigh nodded. "You're in big trouble."

Leigh gave her sister a withering look. "No kidding," she said, letting every bit of her irritation show on her face and in her signs. "Leave me alone."

Katie glared at her before jerking angrily back around to face forward. Leigh sighed and dropped her head back to the table. Great, why didn't everybody get mad at her today?

All too soon, there was a knock at the door. Leigh looked up in time to her teacher open the door and Uncle Gibbs step in and crook a finger at her. Leigh took a deep breath. She had a brief, fleeting thought of refusing to move, but she wouldn't put it past Uncle Gibbs to come in and drag her out bodily, and if he did that, she'd never, ever live it down. Heaving a huge sigh, she pushed back her chair and went to the door.

Outside in the hall, Leigh slumped against the wall for the second time. Uncle Gibbs just glared at her and said nothing. Finally, after a long moment, he said, "Well…"

"Well what?" she snapped back.

Gibbs gave her a sharp look that made her cringe inside. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

Leigh shrugged.

"Leigh Anne," he growled, a clear warning.

"It's not fair!" Leigh spat. "I already know how to divide. Why should I hafta do a stupid baby assignment?"

"I don't know," Gibbs told her honestly, "but I'm sure there's a reason."

"Yeah," Leigh said sarcastically, "it's practice."

"And what's wrong with that?" Gibbs asked. "That sounds like a perfectly valid reason to me."

"Yeah, right," Leigh muttered under her breath, "for me, maybe."

"What was that?" Gibbs asked sternly.

"Why should I hafta practice?" Leigh shot back. "You don't."

For a moment, Gibbs went still, and Leigh panicked. Oh, god, what had she done? She was dead, period. This was it. Her life was over. She'd lost her mind. That was it. She must have. Otherwise, she'd have remembered that Uncle Gibbs was a Marine. And Marines took this respect stuff very seriously.

But Gibbs only raised an eyebrow. "Don't I?" he said, dangerously soft. "Just why else do you think I build boats in my basement?

"Because you like it," Leigh said.

"That's true," Gibbs conceded, "but it's also practice. I learn a lot from it, and I can build a better boat the next time as a result. Besides that, do you have any idea how much time I spent on the shooting range when I was in the Corps? Marine snipers are some of the best marksman in the world, but there's a reason for that. They practice, a lot."

"Yeah," Leigh retorted, "but that's cool stuff, interesting stuff. You don't have to practice long division."

"And you don't think you need to know division to build? Or even to figure trajectory when you shoot?" Gibbs asked.

"Hey, I didn't say anything about needing to _know_ it... just that _you_ don't have to do stupid and boring _practice_ exercises about it that don't have anything to do with actually _using_ it! When's the last time you sat down with a page of long-division problems just to _practice_?" Leigh replied hotly, rolling her eyes.

"Probably when I was about your age," Gibbs admitted, "but whether you agree with the assignment or not, that doesn't make it ok to disobey your teacher and be disrespectful."

"Why do I have to be _respectful?_" Leigh asked, her voice dripping with disdain, "when _she_ doesn't respect _me_ enough not to make me do stupid baby assignments?"

"You respect the position even if you don't respect the person in it," Gibbs told her, words laced with steel. "Even if you don't agree with their decisions, unless they are asking you to do something wrong or unsafe, you do as you're told. Then, you talk to your mama, or daddy, or even me and let us handle it."

"I did," Leigh said bitterly. "Fat lot of good that did. They just told me to do it anyway."

"Then that's what you do," Gibbs said. "You suck it up and follow orders."

"I'm not a Marine, Uncle Gibbs," Leigh snapped. "I'm not required to follow that chain of command. Besides, some of these idiots don't deserve my respect."

Almost on instinct, Gibbs found himself reaching out to give her a sharp swat for that comment, but stopped abruptly, realizing that doing so in public probably wasn't a great idea, and clamped his hand down hard on her shoulder instead.

"Let's go," he said sternly, moving her bodily toward the door.

Leigh's head jerked up, and she stared at him, clearly confused. "Go? Where are we going?"

"Home," Gibbs replied through clenched teeth.

For a moment, Leigh's fury lifted. Maybe this day might be getting better after all. "Wait," she said, "if we're going home, I need my book bag."

"No, you don't," Gibbs told her. "You're coming back."

"Well, why are we going home then?" Leigh asked in a huff.

"Because," he said into her ear. "I can promise you that you don't want to have the 'discussion' we're about to have in public. Now move!"

* * *

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** This story includes the spanking of a young child as discipline and discussion of spanking as a method of discipline. **If that bothers you, stop now.** If you read anyway and are offended, please don't complain. You were warned.

* * *

Gibbs sent Leigh ahead of him to the car, hoping the scant few moments it would take to check her out would be enough for him to clamp down on the urge to jerk her up and bust her bratty little butt right then and there. After all, surely a trained sniper could find a private little cubby hole somewhere in this building that would suit his purposes, an empty washroom or an abandoned storage room, perhaps. Granted, neither Abby nor Leigh would ever forgive him if he did such a thing, but at the moment, the thought was tempting. He scrawled the required information across the sign out log, glaring at the tiny print labeling each column: date, time, his name, Leigh's name, reason. He filled in the last column as appointment. She had an appointment, all right, he thought wryly. Her backside had an appointment with his hand.

Spinning on his heel, he strode out of the office toward the car. He still couldn't believe the nerve of that child. Sure, he understood her frustration with the assignment, but that attitude! There was no way in hell that was acceptable, and Leigh damn well knew it. No child of his was going to…

That thought brought him up short as he realized with a start that, as much as he loved her, Leigh wasn't his child, and while he wouldn't hesitate to discipline the girls when they were with him if they needed it, this wasn't the kind of thing he'd normally step in over. Maybe he should wait and let McGee handle this. Except, if McGee was out in the field on an active investigation, it might be hours before he could deal with this, and he couldn't in good conscience leave that poor teacher to deal with her all day. Besides, Tim and Abby had made it very clear from early on that he was to treat the girls as if they were his own, and that included discipline.

Leigh was about four the first time he'd spanked her, and at the time, he was acting so much on instinct that he'd done it without a second thought. At least until it was all over.

It'd been a warm summer evening, and instead of his customary weekly dinner with them, Tim and Abby had brought the girls over for dinner at his house so they could play in his yard. After a while, they'd realized that Leigh was nowhere to be seen and, worse yet, was far too quiet. Knowing that quiet was almost never good; he, Tim, and Abby had launched a search of the house and yard. He'd found her in the basement, where she was strictly forbidden to go without adult supervision, standing on tiptoe, reaching for his tools, her fingers inches from his chisel. Mind instantly filled with gory images of the damage that tool could inflict, he'd shouted "No!" and raced over to her.

Leigh froze at the sound of his voice, and by the time he'd reached her, she'd hung her head guiltily and was tracing designs in the sawdust with the toe of one purple sneaker. He caught her arms and gave her a small shake.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked furiously. "You know my tools are dangerous."

Leigh's eyes filled with tears, but the horrid images of what might have been drove him on. Propping one foot on the bottom of the worktable, he picked Leigh up, turned her over his knee, and spanked her. It was over in moments, just a short, sharp flurry of swats that he was sure hurt her pride more than her bottom, but Leigh sobbed broken-heartedly, as if he'd whipped her within an inch of her life.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Gibbs," she wailed, burrowing into his neck as he cradled her against his chest.

"I know, Sport," he said softly, rubbing her back. "It's ok now. But don't you ever do that again. You scared me. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Won't," Leigh murmured shakily, between wet sniffles and hitched breaths.

It was only then, as the adrenaline began to wear off, that he became aware of both Abby and Tim standing on the stairs, drawn by the commotion and Leigh's cries. He realized, too late, that he'd just spanked their child without their permission. He settled Leigh on his hip and turned to face them, bracing himself for Abby to light into him.

But all she said was, "I see you found her."

Gibbs nodded, feeling sheepish. "I guess I should have let you handle that."

Both of them stared at him in utter bewilderment, but it was Abby who spoke. "Why?"

Now it was his turn to stare. "Because she's your child."

"And?" Abby replied. "For all intents and purposes, she's your granddaughter. Not to mention she broke your rules in your house."

"Well, yeah," he said, trailing off. "But…"

"Gibbs, look," Abby went on, "Tim and I were both well aware of your discipline methods, and you know it. If we had a problem with it, don't you think we'd have said so by now? Besides, you know I've done it myself. You've seen me smack their bottoms since they were old enough to understand the word no."

Gibbs nodded, but he shot a meaningful glance at Tim. He was acutely aware at this moment that his youngest agent turned surrogate son had been taught that spanking children was abusive, and had only reluctantly come to accept it from him as an adult.

"If it's me you're worried about," Tim put in quietly from his position at the top of the stairs, "don't. I stopped thinking of it as abusive a long time ago. I may never think of it as easily as Abby does, but I do get it now. Just because I haven't yet punished either of them that way doesn't mean I won't, or that it bothers me if you do." He caught Gibbs's eye and held it, and the trust Gibbs saw there floored him, as it always did. "You didn't beat her, Boss. She did something she knows is dangerous, and you punished her, the same as either of us would have. Abby and I know that and so does Leigh."

To prove his point, Abby turned to Leigh and asked, "Leigh, baby, what's the rule about Uncle Gibbs's basement?"

Leigh turned in his arms and peered at her, biting her lip nervously. She clearly didn't want to answer but didn't dare disobey either.

"Not s'posed to go down there wiffout an adult," she answered, a bit of her long abandoned baby lisp slipping out in her distress. "I'm sorry, Mama."

Abby came down to meet them at the bottom of the stairs and reached out to rub a hand gently over Leigh's hair. "It's ok, baby. But Leigh, let me ask you a question, what happens when you break a rule like that?"

Leigh's eyes widened to platter-sized and her hands flew back to cover her bottom. "No spank, Mama. No more."

"I'm not going to spank you," Abby assured her. "You've already been punished. It's over now." Her tone was soft and soothing, but the look she shot Gibbs over Leigh's head clearly said 'told you.'

"See?" Tim said, "So don't worry about it, Boss. Truthfully, it would bother me more if you didn't discipline her than if you do."

Remembering that settled things for Gibbs. Leigh knew exactly what she had coming then, and she knew now. And then, as now, Tim and Abby expected him to follow through.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Contains corporal punishment of a minor and discussion of the same. Don't like; Don't read.**

* * *

Leigh slumped against the window and watched the few streets between her school and Uncle Gibbs's house race by, far too quickly for her liking. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy as a leaden fog. She wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. All of her earlier anger had evaporated, leaving her stomach a roiling mass of nerves. Uncle Gibbs was going to kill her. The man was a sniper, for crying out loud. He could probably kill her in more ways than she could count, and he'd been hanging around with Mama long enough he could probably do it without leaving forensic evidence too.

Ok, ok, so he wouldn't really kill her. Still, she was under no illusions as to what was about to happen. She was about to get the spanking of her life, and she knew it. Worse yet, Uncle Gibbs said she had to go back to school afterward. What was up with that? She'd been spanked for stuff that happened at school before. That was the rule. If she got in trouble at school, she got in trouble again at home, and around their house, that usually meant grounding or spanking, though Mama could come up with some really evil chores sometimes too. But they had always dealt with things at night, after they got home from work. She'd never had to go back and sit on a sore butt all day, as Uncle Gibbs clearly intended her to do today.

Crap, why hadn't she just done the stupid division? Sure, it was boring and pointless, but it was a whole lot better than getting spanked then having to sit on a hard desk all day. Great, Leigh, you're an idiot. Before she could launch into any further recriminations, Uncle Gibbs pulled to a stop in front of his house, and the coil of nerves in her stomach seemed to turn to stone.

He slid a glance at her, the first time he'd actually looked at her since they'd left school, and said, "Let's go." Then, he got out of the truck and strode toward the house without bothering to look back to see if she'd followed.

Leigh scrambled to follow, though following was the very last thing she wanted to do right now. What she really wanted to do was run away, far away, but she knew that running would infuriate Uncle Gibbs, and she didn't dare chance that right now. When she made it into the house, he was waiting for her in the living room, sitting on the couch. He motioned for her to come to him, and her mouth went dry as sawdust.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Gibbs," she said frantically. All pretense of standing her ground was long forgotten. Now she was interested in nothing more than saving herself. "I've learned my lesson," she went on, moving toward him as slowly she dared. "I shouldn't have been disrespectful. I'll do better from now on. You don't have to spank me, really."

Gibbs raised one eyebrow. "I hope you have," he said, quiet and stern, but that doesn't mean you don't have consequences for your behavior today. You earned a spanking, and you know it."

Leigh's shoulders slumped. "Please, Uncle Gibbs," she begged, unable to stop herself.

In reply, Gibbs snapped his fingers and pointed to a spot in front of him. "Now, Leigh Anne."

It was spoken quietly, but an order nonetheless. Leigh had no choice but to obey. When she reached him, Gibbs caught her arms without a word, guided her between his knees and bent her over his left leg. The position made her skirt ride up, revealing the bicycle shorts she wore underneath. Seeing them, Gibbs simply flipped the skirt up and out of the way.

Leigh groaned and blushed scarlet, but before she could protest the first swat fell and embarrassment became the least of her worries. The sting made her yelp, but before she could ever catch her breath, it came again. And again. And again. She yelled and yelled and yelled, but Uncle Gibbs didn't even pause, just held her tighter. It hurt so bad. He'd never spanked her this hard before. Her butt was on fire. Why had she ever been such an idiot? She'd never sit again. Finally, all trace of coherent thought fled, and she just cried.

It was then and only then that he stopped spanking and moved his hand up to rub her back. Leigh was so distraught it took her several minutes to realize it was over. As she began to calm, Gibbs picked her up and held her on his lap, much as he had when she was four, comforting her and whispering quiet reassurances.

When her tears had diminished to wet sniffles and shaky breaths, Gibbs said seriously, "It's over now, but don't you ever throw a fit like this again."

"Yes, sir," Leigh said quietly. She had absolutely no intention of ever getting in trouble like this again. That message had been burned into her butt and her brain, and she never, ever wanted to repeat it.

"I mean it," Gibbs went on. "Do you realize your teacher would have been well within her rights to have you paddled today?"

Leigh cringed. Why did Mama and Daddy have to put them in a stupid old fashioned school that still paddled students? Nowhere else did that anymore. It had gone out in the dark ages, like when Mama was a kid or something. It wasn't even legal in public schools, but private schools could do it if they wanted, and her school did.

Leigh had never been paddled at school, but she had always known it was a possibility. Her parents wouldn't even consider signing the form that said they couldn't be spanked. Daddy said if they didn't want a paddling then they shouldn't misbehave, and Mama, of course, agreed with him. "You make your choices," she'd said when Leigh had petitioned to her, "and you take your chances."

"Do you?" Gibbs prompted, and she suddenly realized he was still waiting for her to answer.

"Didn't think of it," she admitted.

"You should have," Gibbs replied. "She did you a favor by just calling me. You could have had to deal with consequences at school too."

"Got spanked anyway," Leigh muttered.

"Yes, you did," Gibbs agreed. "Once. It could have been twice, and if it ever happens again, it will be twice. I'll let them paddle you at school and then paddle you myself."

"You will?" Leigh squeaked, wide-eyed.

"Yes. I still have an old paddle somewhere around here, and I will use it," he replied. Not only would he, Gibbs thought, but he still did, when one of his adult 'kids' had need of it, but Leigh didn't need to know that.

Leigh swallowed convulsively, eyes impossibly round. "Yes, sir."

Gibbs hugged her once more. "You know I expect you to apologize to your teacher, right?"

Leigh sighed. "Do I hafta?"

Gibbs shot her a Look.

Leigh heaved a heavier sigh. "Yessir."

Gibbs kissed her head and set her on her feet. "Go wash your face. We need to get you back to school."

Leigh groaned and started to protest, but the look on Gibbs face sent her scurrying for the bathroom instead, rubbing her bottom as she went. It was going to be a long day.


	7. Chapter 7

When Tim's phone rang just as he reached the end of a winding mountain road in rural West Virginia, his first reaction was relief. If the phone could ring, it meant he'd finally gotten service back. He'd been without cell service all day, stranded in a backwater rural town where a young petty officer had managed to get himself killed. At first blush, it looked like a run-of-the-mill hunting accident, but if there was one thing he'd learned in all his years with Gibbs, it was never to assume. When the phone rang a second time and Gibb's name flashed up on the screen, his relief turned to amusement. Abby' d always sworn Gibbs had ESP, and it looked like the ESP was working today. His amusement, however, was followed quickly by concern. Gibbs was the girls' de facto guardian when he and Abby were away. What if something had happened to one of them?

"Boss?" he said, putting the phone on speakerphone. He didn't dare try to juggle both the phone and the wheel on these narrow little roads.

"McGee?" Gibbs's voice was faint, barely audible above the crackling and static, but it was there.

"Yeah, Boss, I'm here," Tim said. "What's going on?"

"It's Leigh," Gibbs replied. "She got herself in trouble today."

Tim groaned, letting his head loll back against the car seat. "What now?"

"It seems she decided today would a good day to throw a temper tantrum and refuse to do her work," Gibbs answered.

Tim swore under his breath. "I thought I put a stop to that this morning. I should have known better."

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked.

"She's been in that mood all day. She refused to go to school this morning because she didn't have any clean pants. Then, she threw a fit when I told her to wear one of Katie's skirts. I know she doesn't like them, but it was the only alternative I had at the time. But she flatly refused to put it on, went so far as to throw it on the ground and stomp her feet," Tim explained.

Gibbs chuckled. "Gotta admire the kid's spunk, but I hope you didn't let her away with that."

"Of course not, Boss," Tim said, surprised that Gibbs even had to ask. "All it got her was a smack on the bottom."

"The tantrum got her more than a smack," Gibbs said wryly.

"I see," Tim said slowly. "From the school... or you?"

"Me," Gibbs told him. "Her teacher called me, and I took care of it."

"Already?" Tim asked. It was only two o'clock. The girls weren't out of school yet.

"Yep," Gibbs said, "brought her home this morning and dealt with it."

"So she's with you?" Tim questioned. He wasn't particularly pleased that Leigh had essentially been allowed to skip school as a result of her bad behavior, but he wasn't about to argue with Gibbs either. They had long ago given Gibbs the right to make those decisions in their absence.

But Gibbs surprised him. "Nope," he said. "Took her back to school after our 'discussion'."

"You did?" Tim asked, genuinely surprised. Gibbs had, once or twice, made him go back to work after he'd spanked him, but none of them had ever done that to the girls.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, sounding uncertain, "didn't think she should get to miss school after what she did."

Tim could hardly argue with that. "She shouldn't," he agreed. But a part of him had to sympathize with the kid, she had to have had a long and miserable day. Tim sighed again. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, Boss. I'll have a talk with Leigh when I pick her up."

"Dammit, McGee, " Gibbs growled, "don't apologize…"

Despite the stress of the day, Tim found himself smiling. "I know, I know…it's a sign of weakness."

"In all these years, haven't I got that through to you yet?" Gibbs asked.

Tim's smile widened into a grin. "Yeah, Boss, I got it, temporary memory lapse."

Gibbs laughed briefly before turning serious again. "Besides, Tim, Leigh's family, no apology necessary. They're mine, too, you know."

"Yes, sir," Tim said softly, acutely aware that at this moment, Gibbs was speaking not as his Boss, but as the surrogate father he'd become. "I know."

"But, Tim," Gibbs went on, "when you talk to Leigh today, just talk, ok? She's had enough today."

"Of course," Tim said, confused. "What else would I do? You said you'd handled it."

"Well, yeah," Gibbs said, sounding uncharacteristically sheepish, "but I know that if the girls get into trouble at school, they usually get punished at home too, and you know I don't disagree with that. I'd do the same thing myself. Told Leigh as much today, but just this once…"

"Boss," Tim blurted, understanding suddenly dawning, "are you trying to tell me not to spank Leigh?"

"Yes," Gibbs said shortly, "Isn't that what I'm say—" he broke off abruptly as Tim burst out laughing. "Dammit, McGee, what the hell is so funny?"

"Boss," Tim said, valiantly biting back his laughter. "don't you think I know that? I've been in Leigh's shoes before, remember? I know what getting a spanking from you is like. The thought of spanking Leigh never entered my mind. Yes, you're right about our rule, but we do that because we want the girls to know we support the school and the school's rules. You've already made that clear. There's no need for me to. I will talk to her, but that's all."

"Ok," Gibbs said, satisfied. "So, tell me about your case."

And just like that, they were back in their old roles, and Tim relished the familiar rhythm as he made his way back home.


	8. Chapter 8

Leigh's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Daddy arrive to pick them up after school. Since he'd been unavailable that morning, she'd assumed he'd caught a case, and Uncle Gibbs would probably be returning pick them up. She had been counting on that. She had already gotten things settled with Uncle Gibbs. There was no need for explanations. As far as Uncle Gibbs was concerned, it was over and he'd already forgiven her. Daddy was another story.

Picking up her book bag, she walked stiffly to the car. Though the initial sting from her spanking had long since faded, she was still very sore. Not only that, but her legs were sore and achy from spending the majority of her day sitting on her knees to avoid sitting on her sore and burning bottom. She went to the back door without hesitation. For once, she didn't even argue with Katie about who was going to sit up front. At the moment, she didn't want to be any closer to daddy than she had to be. She opened the door and stopped, eyeing the seat warily. She tossed her book bag in the car with a sigh but still made no move to sit.

"Get in," Tim ordered.

Not daring to argue, Leigh obeyed, moaning and wincing as she did. Even if she got in more trouble, she'd be glad to be home and get out of these stupid shorts. The skirt alone wouldn't have been so bad, but the shorts were so tight it was impossible to move without them rubbing her sore skin. It had been absolutely miserable day. Sitting hurt no matter she did, and most of her classmates kept giving her strange looks all day. Either they were curious as to what was going on, or they knew perfectly well and were smug. Katie definitely fell in the smug category. She'd been giving her 'I told you so' looks all day, as if she didn't already know what an idiot she'd been.

And now, on top of all that, she had to face Daddy. Her stomach knotted at even the thought. Daddy was going to be furious.

***

Tim watched Leigh covertly in the rearview mirror. The kid was clearly miserable, squirming and shifting almost constantly, brows knitted with worry. He thought about putting her out of her misery then and there, but he knew the best place for their discussion would be private. For now, all he could do was get her home.

***

When they finally made it home, after what to Leigh had seemed an eternity, she vaulted out of the car practically before it stopped. She heard daddy calling after her, and Katie asking if she wanted a snack, but she didn't stop. She didn't want a snack. She didn't want anything. She just wanted everybody to leave her alone. She ran to her room, stripped off her shoes and shorts, and flopped face down on her bed, still in her school uniform. She wasn't stupid. She knew Daddy would be in before long, and it was going to be bad, very bad, but she just couldn't face him yet.

***

Tim watched Leigh run off into her bedroom and sighed. He thought for a moment about going after her but decided against it. If he knew his daughter, and he knew both of them pretty well, Leigh wanted to be alone right now. He went into the kitchen and fixed Katie a snack, chatting with her about her day. Katie, as usual, was pretty unflappable and chattered on cheerily, but it didn't escape Tim's attention that she kept glancing toward the bedroom door where Leigh had fled. Finally, he sighed, pushing himself up off the counter and heading down the hall. Best get this over with, for all their sakes.

***

The knock on the door was soft, but Leigh jumped as though she'd been stung. Her heart raced, and she prayed with all her might that he wouldn't spank her again. She knew the rules, and she had gotten in trouble at school. She knew what that meant, but she was so sore already. She hoped against hope that Daddy would let that be enough, but knowing how mad he was likely to be, she doubted it.

Tim came over and sat beside her on her bed. "I hear you've had a rough day," he said quietly.

Leigh turned toward him, startled that he wasn't launching into a lecture already, and nodded.

"Tell me about it," Tim said, reaching out to rub her back gently.

The unexpected gentleness undid her, and before Leigh knew what was happening, the whole sordid story came pouring out.

"Leigh Anne," Tim scolded. The words were stern but very quiet, and the lack of volume made them all the more devastating.

"I know, Daddy," Leigh said, uncharacteristically subdued. "I'm sorry. I know it was rude and disrespectful, and I shouldn't have done it. I already apologized to my teacher. Uncle Gibbs made me do it in front of the class."

Tim winced in sympathy. He wasn't so old that he didn't remember just how hard that would've been at Leigh's age. But what he said was, "Well, you were rude in front of all of them, weren't you?"

Leigh dropped her head. "Yes, sir."

"Then that's fair, don't you think?" Tim asked.

"Not really," Leigh replied, pouting.

"Why not?" Tim questioned, surprised. For all Leigh's headstrong nature, she was generally pretty fair-minded.

"I'd already been spanked," she grumped. "That was punishment enough."

Tim just shook his head. That argument wasn't even worth having.

"Daddy?" Leigh spoke up before he could speak again. "Are you going to spank me too?"

Tim caught her eyes and held them for a long moment. He hadn't worked with Gibbs all these years without learning a little bit of his technique. A moment after the silence began to be uncomfortable, he replied, "Not this time." Leigh's whole body slumped with relief, but he didn't comment. "Uncle Gibbs told me he already handled it, and this time, that's enough." He waited a bit. "But Leigh, if this ever happens again, I will. Understood?"

Leigh's eyes went wide as saucers. "But Daddy... not that I plan on doing it again... but Uncle Gibbs said he'd let them paddle me at school_ and_ he'd paddle me. Does that mean you'd spank me to?"

Tim raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"But Daddy..." Leigh began, only to close her mouth again at that absolutely implacable look on Tim's face. "I guess that means I better not get in trouble anymore," she said.

Tim nodded. "Yep." He opened his arms then, and Leigh practically flew into them. Wrapping his arms around her, he asked, "Are you okay now?"

Leigh nodded, lip poking out in a slight pout. "Uncle Gibbs spanks hard."

Tim had to fight hard to keep from laughing. "I know," he told her. "Trust me, I know."


End file.
